Another great group live was Hawkwind. Very atmospheric too. They used to play Stonehenge Festival with Roy Harper for free every year until Thatcher sent 600 SPG who beat the shit out of the travellers, smashed their homes and took their kids off of them. It was a crime against humanity and she was like Hitler totally evil.
How in earth it took people 3 albums to pick up on how unbelievable a band The Verve truly are astound me. A storm in Heaven and Northern Soul were incredible records that should have blasted them into Rock n Roll Superstardom.
Ashcroft is amazing but with the rest of the band they go up to even more levels. McCabe is a maverick, genius like Ashcroft. One of my main wishes in life is for this band to reform again and see them play live. This band is one of the elite.
Best band ever. EVER. I saw them live once and my mind was blown. opened up with new decade and I heard starsail live. i miss this stuff. music is just not the same anymore.
Yeah, Mcabe's ethereal guitar tones. Yeah, Ashcroft's melodic vocal deliveries. But, no one ever talks about Jone's bass... always smooth, inventive, simplistic vibes... he never plays a wrong note. I suppose Salisbury is competent drummer as well ; ) GREAT BAND, underrated, overlooked, too quickly forgotten.
The Verve are criminally underrated. One of the most important bands of all time in my opinion and right up there with Oasis for best band of the 90's. Richard Ashcroft is one of the most talented songwriters and frontman and Nick McCabe is an absolute legend on the guitar.
Sorry to hear about your friend man. I lost one of my closest friends new years 2011. He loved The Verve as well and I have tons of memories of us driving in my car blasting The Verve.
incredible band. together they just have something special. wish they would pop in and drop a new album or tour every 5 or 10 so years. wont be around forever so I wish they would just go out and give it a shot
There's one common denominator in The Verve and Oasis which is The Stone Roses in a sense they inspired both sets of lads to start bands. Quality band. The best thing to come out of Wigan since pies!!!
My god!!! ..I hope this is true...the verve are so special to me...they are a band that makes me so filled with life.....I miss the verve so much it hurts!!!!!
Was lucky enough to finally see the verve at Coachella before they broke up in 08, I wish Richard would come to America though, his RPA united nations of sounds is a great album people.
agree 100%. why i could never deal with the band live either - ashcroft doesn't know how to shut up. they lost me back at a northern soul. a storm in heaven, specifically the first four tracks, are among the best ever recorded in my book.
+Adam Burns I seem to recall a bit of a gasp when Richard came out with bleach blonde hair but...what does it matter? I think he went to the Led Zep reunion at the 02 and that was the first glimpse of the new hair...Coral supporting that night at the G-Mex...bonus!
Keep seeing the verve and oasis mentioned in the same sentence, noel could write a decent tune but no where near the level ashcroft/mcabe set the bar, the verve were superior on every level, I still think "three steps"b side to either bitter sweet symphony or drugs dont work is brilliant piece of music that anything oasis produced doesn't come close
Very true' The Verve were not just a little better but miles' all that attention oasis got in the 90's Verve should have got, but they did steal it from 1997/98' the song it self Northern Soul is the most pure raw most rock & roll track ever recorded so nihilistic even Iggy Pop & the stooges would have killed for
Ashcroft wrote the tunes, McCabe made them sound like Verve. Both essential ingredients, both geniuses and I wouldn't love those albums still today had either fobbed off after Verve EP. For some they were never better than Verve EP and those early pre-Storm release shows, for some Urban Hyms is the pinnacle, I fookin' love just about everything.
I First saw the verve at slane castle in '98 they headlined that night and they were Great! was with a few friends and sean (lenny) a good mate of ours was their that night and a he was huge fan! he even looked like richie ashcroft!! sadley he passed away in '03. Was lucky enough to see them again in '08 at Oxegen and they were epic your spirit was with us that night, Great live band a shame they couldn't keep it together, they will always remind me of our good mate lenny..
Amen. Sadly as time passes I feel them getting back together is less and less likely to happen. Almost fell its to late already :( would love to be wrong though
Don't worry Sean. Love the Verve. 58 years old yank, who'd believe it. I still blame the stones for tripping them up. Like they don't have enough money and fame. The big breakout hit here in the U.S. and the Verve doesn't get a penny. I 've seen a lot of bands self destruct over ego. We has a great band called the Gin Blossoms. Same story. Tons of good music and energy wasted. still i'm thankful for what we've got from them.
Yea the Stones thing def didn't help, esp with the problems that have always been there to begin with between McCabe and Ashcroft. The lawyer from the Stones was a major dick. He laughed and said the song helped buy him a nice watch. From what I've read they had full approval to use the sample and no one had a problem until the song became a big hit (go figure). What really sucks is how many people just believe that The Verve are hack plagiarist because of it (or of course a "one hit wonder" despite having SO MANY great songs). It took way to long but thankfully that awful decision was finally reversed, and the Stones no longer have a writing credit on BSS.
Sorry to hear about your mate too dude, Urban Hymms was a such a great album, one of those albums you could play from start to finish without skiping through any song!
Strange Richard & Pete aren't interviewed in this. It's so frustrating these lads keep parting ways. Can't we all just get along! Even Verve B-sides are amazing! See the Door, So Sister, Lord I guess I'll never know.....all as good as any other album tracks. Check em!
THIS DVD DOCUMENTRY. .IS ON THE CHINA OR JAPAN VERSION OF FORTH CD..IT COMES WITH 2 EXTRA BONUS TRACKS AND THIS DOCUMENTRY. ..THE 2 EXTRA TRACKS ARE..MA MA SOUL...AND MUHAMMAD ALI.....VERY COOL SONGS..
For me theyre supremely talented like Alice in Chains with Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell. Brilliant. Im surprised that theyre not better known in the USA.
Forth was a great album. It was more on par with A Northern Soul for me, more of a return to form, where UH was far too much of an Ashcroft solo album, in my opinion. There are really only a few songs that feel like Verve songs on UH.
Yeah I thought that was kind of odd too. Pete I think is extremely shy, cause I don't think I have ever seen a interview of him. It truly is a shame that they can't stay together, I just hope I can see them live at least one time. Sadly I discovered them not long after their last breakup, and yeah the B-sides are gold as well!
Hey Sean only saw your reply now sorry dude! I reckon they have at least one more reunion in them for money if nothin else. A Storm in Heaven played live start to finish would be nice! I put a Vervy type tune up called Forget the Money yesterday...the way they wrote songs from just jamming I always thought was magical. They just clicked.
im kinda glad that verve split up the first time cus ive enjoyed listening to what richard has come out with but i wish they stayed together the second time so i could atleast see another album
Saw them in 93 i think it was at The Duchess of York in Leeds. The power went off halfway thru and Ashcroft went mental screaming at the staff to sort it out. The man wanted to make it badly. was fascinating to watch...
Right up to "Keys to the world" album those first 3 albums are genius' for me everything after The Verve Forth album as not been up to his standard nor The Verve's I just loved the reunion album Forth so much it was gonna be a hard act to follow again
Yeah Richard Ashcroft had some amazing solo material, would any of it have made on a a Verve album if they'd stayed together? Be a shame if Song For Lovers, Come On People, Science of Silence, Buy It In Bottles, Man on a Mission, Check the Meaning, Why Not Nothing, or Break the Night With Colour hadn't.
Simon. How many Simon's are there in the UK? Possibly more Simon's than toilets. Stick to the music. In Thailand we call a brit a simon!!! LOL. A simon is a dime a dozen!
sorry guys - agree verve were amazing but aschrofts ego took over - no wonder mccabe had a breakdown. mccabe and tong are top blokes but as keith richards said about the stones- the minute jagger sarted playing acoustic on stage was the point they got shit. aschrofts been jumpin about with an acoustic since around northern soul. if ashcroft hadn't chased fame and record sales and let mccabe guide the band they would have a cannon of 4-5 quality albums
